This recipe for molasses cookies is an old family one (one of many tasty recipes from our Great-Great-Aunt Lizzie Reilly.) The dash of chili powder is my little tweak. I hope G-G-Aunt Lizzie would approve.
Why you'll love this recipe
An old-fashioned molasses cookie recipe is a classic that everyone loves. Yes, everyone. I mean, there's not a single human being on the planet Earth that doesn't love an old-fashioned molasses cookie. (Based on my research... I did my best to reach out to every single human.)
These seriously soft molasses cookies are full of spice and brown sugar. Buttermilk in the batter also gives them tanginess and tenderness. Make these these your Christmas molasses cookies for sure, but they're also worth making in the fall... or the spring... or in the middle of February... or in the summertime, too! Molasses cookies sandwiched around a scoop of vanilla ice cream? YUM!
Finally, it's an easy recipe to pull together. And you can make the dough ahead of time, too.
Make this recipe for Christmas breakfast: Who Hash!
🔪 How to make Soft Buttermilk Molasses Cookies
Ingredients:
- Shortening: a vegetable shortening like Crisco
- Butter: unsalted is always my choice
- Dark brown sugar: for color and flavor
- Eggs: use large eggs
- Molasses: they're molasses cookies, after all!
- Flour: use all-purpose
- Baking soda: to help the cookies rise
- Spices: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, salt, and chili powder
- Buttermilk: to help the rise and for a little tang
- Optional: chocolate and crystalized ginger to add to the baked cookies
Step 1: Make the cookie dough
Cream together the butter, shortening, and sugar. Add in the eggs and molasses. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and spices. Blend this with the wet mixture, alternating with buttermilk. Chill the dough for 30 minutes.
Step 2: Scoop the dough
Place scoops of cookie dough on a prepared baking sheet.
Step 3: Bake!
Bake the cookies for about 15 minutes, then let them cool. Enjoy!
Notes:
- Want to dress these cookies up a little? Give them a dunk in melted chocolate and add minced crystallized ginger. Find instructions for this step in the recipe card.
Find the recipe for Soft Buttermilk Molasses Cookies below. And as long as you have cookies on the brain, here are a few others you should try!
💬 How do you like these cookies? What are your favorite family recipes? Leave a comment to tell me - below!
Soft Buttermilk Molasses Cookies
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup vegetable shortening
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups packed dark brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup molasses
- 4 cups all-purpose flour, unbleached
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
- 2 teaspoons vegetable shortening
- 1 ounce crystallized ginger pieces
Instructions
Make the cookie dough:
- Cream together the shortening, butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl with a hand mixer) for 5 minutes.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time. Add the molasses to the bowl and mix everything together well.
- In a separate bowl mix together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, salt, and chili powder. Add the dry ingredients to the butter-sugar mixture in 2 or 3 additions, alternating with the buttermilk.
- Cover the bowl and chill the dough for 30 minutes.
Bake the cookies:
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Use a small cookie dough scoop (2 teaspoon size) to place dollops of cookie dough on the prepared baking sheet: the cookies spread to be about 2¾ inch in diameter, so leave space between each cookie.
- Bake the cookies for about 15 minutes, until the edges are just set. Transfer them immediately to a cooking rack.
- Makes 72 cookies. Once completely set, store the cookies in an airtight container for up to one week.
Optional: Dip in chocolate and add crystallized ginger
- Melt 12 ounces of semisweet chocolate chips and 2 teaspoons of vegetable shortening in the top of a double-boiler, or in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Heat and stir the chocolate and shortening until it is melted and smooth.
- Dunk half of each cookie into the melted chocolate, then lay them on sheets of wax paper. Add a few bits of minced crystallized ginger to the still-wet chocolate. Allow the cookies to sit until the chocolate has cooled and set, about 30-40 minutes.
TaMara Sloan
These look absolutely divine! Thanks for sharing at Food on Friday.
The Armchair Squid
They look yummy. The ladies at my house both love ginger and would heartily approve.
Nancy Mock
Thank you Squid!